News

The Hindu : Let us deal with acquisition and transfer of property in India by a Person of Indian Origin (PIO). The term “Person of Indian Origin” (PIO) means an individual (not being a citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Nepal or Bhutan) who at anytime held an Indian passport or who or either of whose father or whose grandfather was a citizen of India by virtue of the Constitution of India Act, 1950, or the Citizenship Act, 1955.A PIO can purchase any immovable property (other than agricultural or plantation property or farm house) only from out of (i) the funds received in India by the way of inward remittance from any place outside India or (ii) the funds held in any non-resident account maintained in accordance with the rules and regulations under FEMA made by the Reserve Bank of India;ORA PIO can acquire any immovable property in India other than agricultural land/farm house/plantation property by way of gift from a person resident in India or from a person resident outside India who is a citizen of India or from a person of Indian origin resident outside India.InheritanceA PIO can acquire any immovable property in India by way of inheritance from a person resident outside India who had acquired such property in accordance with the provision of the foreign exchange law in force at the time of acquisition by him from a person resident in India.A PIO can transfer any immovable property in India other than agricultural land/farm house/plantation property, by way of sale to a person resident in India.He/she can transfer agricultural land/farm house/plantation property in India by way of gift or sale to a person resident in India who is a citizen of India; and can transfer residential or commercial property in India by way of gift to a person resident in India or to a person resident outside India who is a…More

The Hindu : The recent past has witnessed quite a few real estate marketing fairs. While it is difficult to evaluate their success as the actual sales effected are over a period of time, there is scope for more innovations.Marketing is not mere selling, but involves many selling plans / techniques, such as survey of the market, identification of target groups, selection of appropriate product to suit the market, measuring of the extent of competition, evolving selling techniques, advertising focussed on target group etc. Bringing the buyers and sellers together is, of course, a quick selling effort, though such meetings are only the beginning. In the present-day housing sector, there is no dearth of buyers and sellers. Bringing them together can perhaps eliminate middlemen either fully or partly. In internet and online marketing, middlemen have no role at all.USP and brand equityDevelopment of an USP and creation of brand equity to capture the target group are the prime factors that sell the product, cutting across competition. How successful are today’s property dealers in these respects? Is brand equity popular in the housing market? Have we tried to balance the price and quality expectations to support marketing efforts effectively? Are we projecting the finer points such as quality of materials used, post-occupancy services etc in our marketing efforts? Or, are we merely focusing on the location, general amenities provided and the possibility of shortage of a particular product which is the subject matter?As there has been acute housing shortage in the country even after years of governmental initiatives, it can be seen that marketing aspects have not received adequate attention. Strangely, many ads appeared in the newspapers as an ‘information’.Most of the ads might have received good response by way of enquiries, and advance booking might have been made by prospective buyers even before models were set up for inspection. Yet, since there exists a ‘free for all’ playfield…More

The Hindu : BBC World takes a look inside China throughout March with a themed series of news reports, documentary and factual programmes exploring one of the world’s most dynamic countries. The season will examine the impact of China’s headlong rushfor economic growth and mark the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.“Looking For China Girl” which will air on March 1 at 8.10 a.m., 2.10 p.m. and 8.10 p.m. and on March 2 at 1.10 a.m., 8.10 a.m. and 8.10 p.m. follows the stories of an independent woman; a migrant worker desperate for a wife; and a local police unit fighting a spate of wife kidnappings.“Please Vote for Me” on March 22 at 1.40 p.m., 7.40 p.m., March 23 at 1.40 a.m., 5.40 a.m., 1.40 p.m. and March 23 at 1.40 a.m. follows an elementary school in the city of Wuham in central China where eight-year-old children compete for the position of class monitor. This, in many cases, will be their first encounter with democracy….More

The Hindu : Sunday jamThe Levi’s Sunday Jam organised by Guruskool will be held on March 2 at Gurunanak Bhavan. The event will feature an Acapella group “Solvitur Canendo” from Bangalore.The other bands are kaasHmora, Chaotica, 5 AM, Occult Decibel, Hammerage, Transit point, Crucifix guide, Organ Jar, Venator, CULMINANT, Clean, Bridge and others….More

The Hindu : My FiveMUKUND PADMANABHANThose that almost made it:The Beatles: Come Together, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, A Day In The Life.Bob Dylan: Knocking On Heaven’s Door, Stuck Inside in Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again.Eagles: Hotel California.Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed, Sympathy For The Devil.Jethro Tull : Aqualung.My Five is a personal list of the five greatest tracks in popular music. It will appear on this day every weekJohn LennonImagineBecause no other song has attained such an anthemic status. Because it so politically correct to believe that rock’s music’s greatest track was written by a middle-aged peace-loving hippie.And finally, because if you can’t bring yourself to pin this tag on a song created by The Beatles, then the next best thing is do this on something composed by one of them.The lyrics are sentimental to point of sheer soppiness and the melody, knitted together with simple strings and a forlorn piano, flirts dangerously with being cloying and self-obsessive. But with his nasal voice and that recognisably hard edge (which singularly saved The Beatles from being mere purveyors of fruity pop), Lennon elevates the song to a magical place and, of course, to cult status.QueenBohemian RhapsodyNo other seven-minute track has created such a heterogeneous field of sound or exists across such diverse musical registers.The Beatles (Hey Jude) and the Stones (You Can’t Always Get What You Want) experimented with choir vocals, but Queen took this much further in their magnum opus, with its splendidly irreverent operatic section, which – improbably – melds seamlessly with the elements of ballad and rock.It is exaggerated, overblown, and reeks of satisfied self-importance. If Freddie Mercury is able pull off something as ludicrously embroidered as this, it is because he and the band never seem to take anything seriously.The song’s refrain ‘Nothing really matters’ seems to capture their ability to make light of even screaming pomposity.Pink FloydWish You Were HereThis…More

The Hindu : Severine Blanchet doesn’t believe that the Doctor Clown movement originated from the popular American movie “Patch Adams” which starred Robin Williams. “It’s a very old tradition and can be traced to Russia. The U.S. developed the concept in the 1960s,” she says with the quintessential red nose hanging from her neck like a pendant.Severine, who is from Lyon in France has been in India for the last two years and has been conducting workshops at the Alliance Francaise. “I am a little disappointed with the poor attendance and also the follow-up with hospitals that they do.” Last year, only three people actually made the effort to continue their association with hospitals.Severine is a professional photographer and has travelled widely to Asia and Africa. She has also been singing, dancing and dabbling in theatre. “In photography, you are behind your camera and in clowning you are behind your red nose.”It was when she returned to France and became a fire-woman, that she met a colleague who did clowning in hospitals and introduced her to the concept. “When I go to hospitals and meet children, I get tremendous satisfaction.” She says that the greatest joy and achievement is sharing happiness and bringing a smile to a child’s face. Then, you really believe that “Laughter is the best medicine”.She also feels that clowning in hospitals is vastly different from clowning in a circus or on stage. “The stage is easy. The audience is far away, you have a happy audience and you perform your rehearsed show.” Clowning in hospitals, on the other hand calls for improvisation. “The children who have not had any voice or say in decisions with doctors and their parents because of their illness and helplessness, have a little freedom with clowns.” Clowns, then in a way, become the children’s punching bag. That’s very important, she feels, as it gives them a window of dreams.It…More